Wings to Fly
by cooldude22345
Summary: -Chapter 3- Perhaps she isn't what he thought she was...
1. Wings

This is just after ANB. Cynder pretty much missed out on her entire childhood – I don't think she had time to learn much about science.

I don't own this POS franchise.

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"So, what are we – birds, or reptiles?"

Spyro slowed down his pace, peering curiously over his shoulder at Cynder as the rush of the river roared in his head. "What?"

"Well, those birds," Cynder pointed out with her tail, indicating towards a tree with a whole flock of bluejays perched on its branches, "They have wings, as do we. Does that make them reptiles as well, or does that make us birds?"

Spyro came to a full stop and turned around, staring at Cynder with the look of someone who was completely lost. "I... No, we're reptiles."

"Ah." Cynder closed her eyes and nodded understandingly, "Then why don't other reptiles grow wings?"

"Because we adapted to our environment." Spyro explained, turning back around and heading down the path alongside the long river, Cynder following close behind, "In our past, predators had the advantage of speed over us. So, over millions of years, we developed wings in order to avoid such predators."

"Ah." Cynder brought her tail to her chin in deep thought. "Then, why don't other reptiles grow wings as well? Surely a small lizard can be easily overpowered by a much larger foe, no?"

"Err," Spyro frowned slightly, "They adapted in their own ways. See, they're smaller, and faster, so they're harder to catch... Some even have poisonous glands to-"

"If that's so," Cynder quickened her pace to stand in front of Spyro, gazing at him with gleaming green eyes, "Then why didn't _we _just develop those same features? All of our food is down here, so we wouldn't need wings to get it. And if we were small and fast, we would have been able to escape predators as well. And, we developed the elements. Growing wings just seems unnecessary to our survival." She finished her rant with a curt nod.

"... Oh." Spyro was beaten, he had to admit it. "Well then... I guess there's no logical explanation as to why we grew wings the way we did." It seems that there really was no reason for having wings... Hm. "Perhaps it's just a commodity."

"Ah. That makes sense."

Spyro was relieved to have dropped the subject.

Then, Cynder brought her paw to her chin in thought. "But... I thought evolution occurred when one adapted to their environment. Why would wings be necessary to-"

"Cynder, just be happy you have your wings."

"Okay."

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><p>Review before noobs kick it off the front page.<p> 


	2. Once Evil

_Fine, _I guess I can make these chapters a tiny bit longer.

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See, Spyro didn't particularly _like _Cynder. She was too curious, too talkative, and asked too many questions. And, worst of all, she had this strange notion that she _owed _him something. Not to mention the fact that she once had the power to crush him like an insect. So when the guardians instructed him to help her grow accommodated with her new life, it was the purple dragon's turn to fear for his own life.

"What? Why?" He bayed in a loud voice a bit too much unlike him, "She'll kill me as soon as I turn around!"

"That is not true," Ignitus' persistent smile grew wider, "I don't think Cynder has it in her heart to bring any more pain to anyone. She is not unlike you," He added with a crinkle of an eye.

"You don't know that!" Spyro took a step back and shook his head, "I saved her because I felt _pity._ I didn't think I'd have to be her chaperon from here on out!"

Ignitus, for once in his long life, frowned. "... That is not like you, Spyro. What has gotten into you?"

The purple dragon averted his gaze in shame. Yes, he was guilty of one thing – a plaguing fear of Cynder was still freshly embedded in his mind. But he didn't necessarily mean to act so _callously _to her. "I, err – it's allergies, that's all."

"Allergies? I see." Ignitus nodded with another wide smile, "Now, think of this as a whole new adventure. Who knows? Perhaps she will become a close friend of yours."

Yeah. And then they would live happily ever after – his life couldn't be _that_ cliché, right?

"You can count me out of this one!" Sparx crossed his arms and huffed, "I'm sorry – I'll fight horrifying monsters with you, and maybe I'll even save your ass once in a while – but I absolutely _refuse _to take part in this!"

"That's fine," Spyro shot back with a sharp glare, "Nobody's asking you."

"And that's the way I like it!" The small dragonfly flew off elsewhere, muttering something about stupid siblings and evil dragons as the purple dragon angrily watched him make his leave.

The better part of Spyro's day was spent watching the grass grow from his spot atop of the comfortable balcony, his arm propped up on the guardrail as he stared lazily at the ground. This sure was a lot for him to think about; Ignitus was practically asking him to keep an eye on a dragoness who could go crazy at any given moment. Of course he knew that she was just a shadow of her former self – with Malefor's influence gone, there was hardly a shred of evil within her heart. That didn't mean that he didn't have nightmares anymore...

"Hello."

Spyro jumped, nearly flipping over the edge of the balcony as he turned around to face Cynder. "Oh. Hey." He mustered up whatever courage he had to make himself seem as calm and collected as possible... If that was possible. "When did you wake up?"

"... A few minutes ago." Indeed, she did still have that groggy look in her eyes. "I wanted to speak with you." She sat down next to Spyro, staring at him as if she was expecting him to say something.

"Okay," Spyro murmured, furtively scooting _just _a few inches away from her, "What do you need?"

"Before I start..." Cynder looked up at the sky and sighed. "I had never noticed the sparkles in my entire life."

Okay, _now _he was confused. "The what?"

"Those," Cynder pointed at the dusky sky with a tiny paw, "I just noticed them. What do you call them?"

"Uh..." Spyro cocked his head curiously. "You mean to tell me you never knew what stars were?" It was a bit unusual to meet somebody who didn't even know something as simple as that. What was next? Did she think the sun was just a big light bulb in the sky? Did she even know what a _light bulb _was?

"Ah. Stars." Cynder nodded understandingly, "Forgive me. I have never been educated by my superiors."

"Wha-" Spyro furrowed his brow and frowned in sudden realization. "They're not your superiors anymore." It made sense, though. She was born to be a weapon of war – he was sure that she had killed more creatures than the guardians put together. He didn't see how a tool like that would have any time to learn about the basics of literature, or science, or math...

"Ah, that is true." Cynder turned her head slowly to gaze upon Spyro with a grateful smile, "Thank you, for liberating me. I am beholden to you."

"Huh?" Suddenly, Cynder lurched forward, her wings partially fanned out as she pressed her head up against his shoulder. It was instinctive for Spyro to jump and tense his muscles, preparing for any sort of battle that might be threatening to break out. As he did so, Cynder let her wings droop with a disheartened sigh.

"Forgive me," She bowed, "I was out of place."

"..." Spyro stood there, a puzzled expression slowly growing on his face. What was wrong with her? Was she going to attack him? If not, then what was she planning on? He closed his eyes and sighed – his restless nerves were beginning to become a burden for him... "No," He started, _very _tentatively taking a step towards Cynder, "Sorry. I'm just used to you trying to bite my neck off..." Indeed. He looked down, just to make sure that a pool of blood wasn't forming at his feet...

"... Oh." Cynder averted her gaze solemnly, "You don't trust me."

Spyro sighed. "No. I don't." A bit blunt? Sure. But he didn't know how else to say it without completely bending the truth. He might as well let her know that he wasn't comfortable speaking with her – maybe he would tell her that she couldn't stay in the temple. He just couldn't take the fact that a once evil dragoness was living right underneath his nose, and that at any moment she could very easily end his life.

That was just it, though. _Once _evil.

"Very well." Cynder straightened out her shoulders and held her head high, her eyes shimmering with something Spyro hadn't noticed in her before, but had seen in himself so many times before: confidence. "I will gain your trust. I will prove to you that I have changed." Before Spyro could reply, she turned around and headed back into the temple, breathing a soft "Goodnight," to him as she disappeared within.

Once he was sure that she was gone, Spyro let out a shuddering sigh.

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><p>Please tell me if I used beholden in the correct manner.<p> 


	3. Teacher

I wasn't really pleased with this chapter. Then again, I'm never pleased with my writing. Hopefully we've established that Cynder is nothing like she was in TloS trilogy...

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><p>3<p>

That night, Spyro was unable to sleep. He tossed and turned in his spot underneath the calm flicker of a torch, but that insecure feeling in his chest only seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. At any moment now, Cynder would charge into the room with a roar, roasting him in his sleep as she cackled evilly.

He screwed his eyes shut and groaned. Next to him, Sparx lay pressed up against his side with a loud snore. "Mommy... My milky is cold..." He stuck his thumb in his mouth and whimpered, causing Spyro to squirm uneasily.

Perhaps if he counted sheep... One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four – his stomach let out a powerful rumble. That wasn't going to work...

He stood up and sighed, letting Sparx fall to the floor with a sharp snore. There was no use in sitting here all night; slowly, he crept past the guardians, being careful not to let his claws click against the stone floor and avoiding stepping on their wings. As he passed by Terrador's head, the earth dragon let out a trembling snore – Spyro froze, feeling his skeleton rattle within his body, before continuing on his way.

Truthfully, he didn't know where he was going. Perhaps he would take a walk outside – maybe encounter some overgrown spider, roast it, and then get a good nights sleep. He rounded the corner of the sleeping quarters, before he heard something curious. A whisper.

Spyro turned around, checking to see if it wasn't the guardians. After brief confirmation, he pressed on, walking a bit more slowly as he focused on the hushed voice echoing throughout the hallways.

There it was again. A low, barely audible sound. Beneath the cover of the dark, Spyro felt only a shimmer of confidence, knowing that Cynder could very easily be hiding in the shadows, luring him in for the kill... There it was again! This time, it sounded like a low growl – definitely something an evil being would be doing at a time like this...

He stopped. The door to the outside world was sitting right in front of him – and it was open. He looked behind him, making sure that none of the guardians (or Cynder) were following him, before cautiously making his way to the door. He poked his head outside and looked around briefly; nothing but tall grass and a few overgrown mushrooms, and – there! That noise again! It was a low sound, almost as if someone were growling...

Though his legs trembled and his heart pounded in his ears, he continued on, crouching towards the ground and softly making his way through the stalks of grass. Once or twice he stepped on a dry twig, fearing that whatever was out there would hear him and rip his throat out. Up ahead, in a small clearing in the field, he could see some brief and dim flashes of light.

"Hello?" He called out, squinting his eyes in the unclear light. He heard a gasp.

Before he knew it, a pair of green eyes had popped up right in front of him; with a loud yelp he fell backwards, flailing frantically as he imagined the creature ripping his stomach open and feasting on his internal organs... "Spyro?" He heard the feminine voice of Cynder, "What are you doing out here?"

Spyro scrambled away, standing up and staring at Cynder with a perplexed look. "I could say the same thing." He started, "Why did you leave?"

"... No reason." She narrowed her eyes, "Are the guardians awake?"

A pause. "No." Spyro gulped, knowing deep down in his heart what was about to happen. She would first make sure that there were no witnesses – then, she would roast him alive and cut his body up into small sections – and finally, she would dispose of the body parts in different locations, to make sure that nobody found her out.

"Ah. That's good," Cynder smiled, turning around and eying a charred tree across the clearing, "Watch." She took a deep breath and shot a burst of fire, one after another, until the tree was completely black and stripped of all it's leaves.

"Oh. So you're practicing," Spyro observed as Cynder shot blast after blast, yet something seemed a bit off. "Why is it so weak?" Indeed, he remembered her attacks being much more deadly. To see her spitting tiny balls of fire like this completely contradicted the mental image he had of her.

"That's what I need help on." Cynder panted, walking over to Spyro and snapping her wings close to her body, "I can't breathe fire like I used to. Can you help me regain my abilities?"

Spyro was inclined to say yes – the prospect of helping somebody almost made him forget about his silly fear of Cynder. Then, he narrowed his eyes. "What for?" He muttered suspiciously, "Why would you need your abilities back?"

Cynder flinched, knowing fully well what he was thinking. "Just in case," She started, sensing his general distrust towards her, "I would never attack you. Remember, I owe you."

"Yeah, right," Spyro walked a full circle around her, like a lion about to pounce on a small rabbit, "Malefor is gone, as well as his forces. There's no _reason _to be ready for another crisis."

Cynder closed her eyes slowly and tilted her head back, staring up at the sky with a slightly angered expression. He _had _to have gotten to her – he found her out, and now she was going to fight him. He was sure of it. So, he was surprised when her soft, almost mocking laugh rose from her throat. "Ha! Spyro, you're very noble and mean well, but you're as ignorant as a rock."

The purple dragon gasped. _This _seemed completely different from the way she usually acted... "... What?" He growled, his anger rising slowly.

"It is foolish of you to think Malefor is gone. He is still here – very much alive, might I add."

Spyro jumped back and tensed his muscles. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that he never left. The only thing you did was release his control over me," Cynder sat down slowly, resting her head on top of her paws with a sigh, "I lost my temper. Forgive me. It's just that... I _know _that he's still here."

Spyro shook his head in disbelief. "How do you know?"

It unnerved him to see the strange look Cynder was giving him – it was almost sorrowful. "He speaks to me... Well, sometimes. He says that he will kill me for what I have done."

Silence.

"Uh... Oh." Spyro stammered. This was a bit strange... He was being told that Malefor was still alive, and he was hearing it from a crazy, schizophrenic dragon. He didn't blame her – the guilt of what she had done her whole life must have been too much to bear, and it was beginning to stress her fragile mind.

At least, that's what he told himself.

He felt foolish for ever suspecting that she may have still been evil... However, he had already grown used to running for his life from this dragoness, and as such he could never seem to get rid of his habit of preparing to flee... "Sorry."

"No. It's okay – he really can't hurt anyone as long as he doesn't have a body to live in." It was almost as if she was belittling the dark master...

"Then that brings back my previous question," Spyro's voice rose once again, "Why would you need your elements if he can't come back?"

"I never said he could not come back." Cynder sighed softly, standing up and walking towards Spyro, "There will always be souls out there that wish for his return. Don't you think you should be trying to stop those people?" Before Spyro protested, she added, "Purple dragon..."

Yep. That about did it. He knew that she was too smart for his own good – there was no way he would ever win this argument. "I guess..."

"Good."

"So, what have we established here, other than the fact that I'm as ignorant as a rock?" Spyro retorted, hesitantly following after Cynder as she walked towards the charred tree.

"That you will help me regain my elements, and in return I will allow you to live."

Something told him that this was her strange sense of humor... "Aa." Spyro sighed, "Just remember, I still don't know what the heck you're up to. If I suspect that you're up to something bad..."

"I've already told you," She started, crouching down and focusing on the fiery sensation welling up within her chest, "I will prove to you that I am trustworthy." She spat another ball of fire at the tree, where it burst into a shower of harmless sparks. "I can't see to get past these small fireballs, Spyro. Am I doing something wrong?"

"Uh..." Spyro kneaded the dirt beneath his paws, surprised to find that he was playing the part of teacher, "Are you breathing...?"

"Yes."

"Focusing?"

"Yes..."

"Exhaling hard enough?"

"... Yes..."

"Huh," Spyro frowned, feeling a bit useless now that he had to help out Cynder, "Here, let me try..." He took a deep breath, just as Cynder dug her claws into the ground excitedly, expecting a huge fireball to crash into the tree and demolish the entire forest... Though all that came out was a puff of smoke. "What the..."

"Are you breathing?"

"Well, yeah, I am..."

"Focusing?"

"Yes, I'm – shut up!"

He could have sworn he saw her smirk.

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><p>Before I end this, I need you to do something for me. Review, before this story disappears from the front page in a day or two.<p> 


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